Chris Brown’s Album Art Decoded: “It’s Something No One Has Ever Seen”

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With the release of Chirs Brown‘s new Fortune album cover, the photographers who shot it offer some insight into the symbolism, the process, and how the singer plans to revolutionize album packaging with his new disc.

“We shot the cover in January,” said Steven Gomillion, who, along with Dennis Leupold, makes up one half of the Fortune photography team Gomillion and Leupold. “But he knew before the last album came out what this one would look like. He thinks so far ahead.”

On his new album cover, a bespectacled Chris Brown poses in a sleek blue suit, alongside futuristic symbols-meant to represent “F-O-R-T-U-N-E”.

“The funny thing about that blue is it basically just happened,” Gomillion said via phone. “It matched the suit and it gives kind of a futuristic vibe. You’ll see blue throughout the packaging.”

Aside from the album cover image, Gomillion and Leupold guarantee the overall album packaging will be groundbreaking.

“Courtney Walter [Art Director] and Chris came up with the hieroglyphics that you see on the cover,” Gomillion said. “And the hieroglyphic writing is going to let the fans send coded messages to each other, like back in the day when you could get a decoder in a cereal box. There will be a way where you can let people decode messages. For the fans it’s a good way to connect. It can be kind of romantic.”

Not only will the album packaging be the biggest he’s ever seen, but according to Gomillion, it will be a collector’s item.

“I can’t go into too many details,” Gomillion said. “But it will give you a lifestyle of the artist, not just a few pictures inside. It’s going to be something no one has ever seen.”

Both photographers agree that Brown had a distinct vision, which came through in his album art and fashion.

“When he wants something he goes into details,” Leupold said. “There is no compromising on it. So if he has to fly it in from Japan, that’s what we will do.”

Last night, Brown took to Twitter to make his big reveal concerning his fourth studio album.

“I hope this album shows growth and positivity to all my fans and will inspire them to live life to the fullest!!! #FORTUNE,” he tweeted out to his 8 million-plus followers. “The reason for May 8th is so you (the fans) can have more music to make ur decision on if u want #FORTUNE” -Erik Parker CBS Local